Sewing-machine



(No Model.)

` H. H. BUFPUM.

SEWING MACHINE. No. 554,238. l Patented Feb. 11, 1896.

NirnD raras HERBERT ll. BUFFUM, OF ABINGTON,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE STEAM llEATED HORN COMPANY, OF PORTLAND,MAINE SEWING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters .atent No. 554,238, dated February11, 1896.

Application filed March 25, 1895.

To all whom it 717/003/ concern:

Beit known that l, HERBERT Il. BUFFU M, of Abington,county ofPlymouth,State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in 5Horn-Tips and VVhirls for fax-Thread Sewing-Machines, of which thefollowing descrip tion, in connection with the accompanying drawings, isa specication, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention is embodied in a wax-thread sewing-machine of the kindknown as the McKay sewing-machine, having a horn that enters the boot orshoe being sewed, said horn being provided with a whirl and means foractuating the same, by which the thread is engaged with the needle whichpenetrates the stock from above, said thread being by the rotation ofthe whirl laid around the shank of the needle above the hook thereof, sothat it is caught inthe hook and drawn up thereby when the needle rises.As heretofore commonly constructed the whirl is a small bevel-toothedannulus having a passage through which the needle passes, and another yeccentric passage through which the thread passes on its way from thethread-supply to the stock or material being sewed, and by 4which thesaid thread is laid around the shank of the needle at the proper time inthe opera- 3o tion of the machine.

The present invention is embodied in an improved tip for the horn, theobject being to provide a better bearing for the whirl an'd to affordprotection for the gear-teeth by which the whirl is operated, and at thesame time to render the whirl readily removable from the tip withoutremoving the tip itself. Furthermore, in accordance with the presentinvention, the bearing portions may be readily renewed when worn withoutrenewing the tip itself.

In accordance with the present invention the tip is formed of one' piecehaving an annular cup 'to contain the whirl, the lower bearing of whichis contained in the lower portion of the cup andpreferablyhasahardcned-steel bushing which may be removed when worn,said whirl being confined in said cup by an annular plug adapted to beingoserted into the top of said cup and serving at the same time as anupper bearing for the Serial No. 543,084. (No model.)

whirl and also as a cover for the protection of the gear-teeth.

Figure l is a side elevation of a portion of the horn of a McKaysewing-machine of the 5 5 kind to which the present invention isapplicable. Fig. 2 is an enlarged section of the upper portion of saidhorn, showing in elevation the tip applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a similarenlarged section of the upper portion of 6o the horn` and tip, showingin elevation the operating-spindle and the whirl; and Figs. i and 5 arerespectively an elevation and a top plan view of the removable plug forconfining the whirl.

The machine is applicable to the wellknown McKay sewing-machine, ofwhich a portion only of the horn A is shown, as the machine is widelyknown, and the present invention will be readily understood by those 7ofamiliar with these machines without further illustration,

The main portion A of the horn is usuallyv of cast-iron and is providedat its upper end with a tip which contains the whirl and is 75 usuallymade in two parts, the main part having a tubular projection or tenonthat enters a socket in the main portion of the horn and the other partbeing in the form of a cap which overlaps the main part of the Se tipand a portion of the main part of the horn and is fastened to each ofsaid parts by screws, thereby fastening the entire tip to the mainportion of the horn.

In accordance with the present invention 85 the tip u is a singleintegral piece having an integral extension a2, which overlaps the mainportion of the horn and is secured thereto'by the screw a5, as clearlyshown in Fig. 3. The said tip is also provided with a tube or bush- 9oing a, preferably hardened andsecured in a recess in the tip by theset-screw a5. As thus made, the tip, with its integral extension a2 andattached sleeve a, is of the same shape externally as the two-part tipsheretofore 95 commonly used and maybe applied to a horn adapted toreceive the old form of tip without any change in said horn.

The sleeve a4 forms the bearing for the whirl-operating spindle b, whichis operated roc in the usual way through beveled gears h2 at the foot ofthe horn, suitably connected to the mechanism of the machine, and isprovided at its upper end with a toothed portion forming a pinionmeshing with the teeth c2 upon the whirl c, which is contained in anannular cup or bearing portion a at the end of the tip. The whirl ciscylindrical in shape,

and the main portion thereof extends above and below the teeth c2, thusforming bearing-surfaces, the lower of which enters the annular openinga7 at the bottom of the cup a6, the said opening thus forming a bearingtherefor and being preferably provided with a hardened-steel bushing as,which is readily renewable in case of wear. The said opening is somewhatsmaller than the main portion of the cup, so that a shoulder a" isformed at the junction of the two openings, upon which shoulder theteeth c2 bear, thus supporting the whirl. In order to confine the whirlwithin the cup and at the same time to form an upper bearing therefor,the annular plug or cover d is provided, having an opening d2 for theneedle, the said opening being enlarged at its lower portion, d3, so asto fit the upper portion of the whirl, and the edges of said enlargedopening are preferably beveled, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to iit closelyover the tops of the beveled teeth c2. A portion of the side of saidplug is cut away, as shown at di, Fig. 4E, to make room for the end ofthe pinion b2, which meshes with the teeth c2. The top of the plug CZ ispreferably rounded, as shown, and provided with an 4overhanging upperportion or fiange, d5, to

engage with the upper edge of the cup a6.

By this construction herein shown the gearteeth by which the whirl isdriven are entirely protected from damage, since no object, such as atack driven into the opening b2, could possibly come in contact with theteeth c2, while the removal of the whirl is readily aecomplished withoutremoving the tip, and the construction of the tip is in nowisecomplicated to attain this end.

The plug d has a tight fit in the cup or socket in the horn-tip, and isretained seated therein by merely driving it into the socket until theflange (Z5 rests on the horn-tip around the edge of the socket therein.rlhe pressure of the material being sewed always tends to keep the plugfirmly seated, so that there is no danger of accidental displacement ofthe plug and whirl.

If the whirl is to be removed for any reason it is necessary only towithdraw the pinion h slightly and then to drive the whirl upward frombelow, thus forcing the plug and whirl out of the socket in thehorn-tip, after which the whirl can be replaced as desired, while a newplug d and bushing as can be substituted for the old, if necessary, atvery slight trouble or expense. The whirl is provided with the usualopenings for the needle and thread, which have not been herein shown,since they form no part of the invention, and since their arrangement iswell known to those skilled in. the art.

By having the bushing a4 separate and detachable from the horn-tip itmay be made of hardened material, so as to form a more durable bearingfor the whirl-operating spindle l) than in the common construction,where said spindle has its bearing in an integral portion of thehorn-tip itself 5 and by the herein-dcscribed construction all thebearing portions in the horn-tip may be readily removed and replacedwhen worn, the horn-tip itself being subject to no wear in the operationof the machine, and is thus substantially indestructible.

l claiml. The combination of a horn-tip of a sewing-machine, providedwith a cup or recess, with a whirl supported in said recess, and anannular plug seated in said recess and coniining said whirl therein,substantially as described.

2. The combination of a horn-tip of a sewing-machine provided with a cupor recess, with an annular bevel-toothed whirl and a removable bushingwithin said recess constituting the lower bearing of the said whirl,

and an annular plug or cover inserted in said recess, and adapted toconfine said whirl therein and furnish an upper bearing therefor,substantially as described.

The combination of a horn-tip of a sewing-machine provided with a cup orrecess, with a whirl supported in said recess and having peripheralteeth and bearing portions above and below said teeth, and an annularplug or cover inserted in said recess in the horn-tip and having abearing-surface co-operating with the bearing-surface of the whirl abovethe teeth thereof, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERBERT ll. BUFFUM. lVitnesses:

Jos. P. LivERMoRu, M. E. HILL.

